Tension has been running high in Occupied Jerusalem as extremist Israeli settlers stepped up break-ins at al-Aqsa Mosque—the third holiest site in Islam.

Reporting from the city, a PIC news correspondent said hordes of Israeli settlers broke into al-Aqsa on Thursday morning and performed sacrilegious rituals near al-Rahma Gate.

Presentations on the counterfeit history of the alleged temple mount were also delivered during the break-in.

At the same time, the Israeli police have tightened the noose around the neck of Muslim worshipers as they tried to enter the site to perform their daily prayers.

Meanwhile, fanatic Israeli settlers have been gearing up to tour the Old City on way to al-Qataneen Market, leading to al-Aqsa, under heavy police shield, in a move that is expected to spark furor among Palestinian worshipers and shopkeepers.

Over recent days, Israel’s alleged temple mount organizations launched calls for escalating mass break-ins at al-Aqsa to mark upcoming ten-day Jewish holidays. The Israeli police have set up security measures to keep Muslim worshipers away from the site.

In posts shared on social media, Muslim activists called on the Palestinians to intensify vigil at al-Aqsa Mosque as of Thursday morning so as to defend the site against Israel’s sacrilegious assaults.

The Israeli occupation authorities announced their intent to close off Occupied Jerusalem for 11 days on the occasion of Jewish holidays and to intensify presence across the city so as to rein in expected anti-occupation protests.